Ways to Help Children Stay Asleep

Children spend an average of 40 percent of their childhood asleep, according to the National Sleep Federation. When children wake frequently throughout the night, the resulting lack of sleep commonly leads to irritability, behavior problems and even cognitive issues that can interfere with their schoolwork. Parents become increasingly exhausted and worn out from battling their child's sleep woes. By following a consistent bedtime routine, encouraging good sleep habits and ensuring your child's bedroom is a "sleep friendly" environment, you can help your child fall asleep more quickly and stay that way throughout the night.

Preparation

• Make your child's room a dark, quiet place to sleep. Run a fan or white noise machine to mask any type of street or household noises. Offer your older child a night light to keep his fears at bay, but steer clear of any type of bedtime entertainment involving television or computers. The National Sleep Federation suggests skipping TV before bed, since it can lead to difficulty falling asleep, nighttime anxiety and fears, and decreased periods of sleep. Avoid giving your child any type of caffeinated beverage before bedtime, since this can cause night-waking and other sleep issues. You should also refrain from giving her any type of medicines containing stimulants, including cough medicine or decongestants.

  Put your child to bed at a regular, consistent time to help set her internal clock to a regular sleeping pattern, and make sure she isn't overtired by the time she goes to bed. Follow a soothing bedtime routine, and make sure your child gets a drink of water, goes to the bathroom and performs other necessary tasks before going to sleep.

Sleep Problems

• Talk to your doctor if your child exhibits any signs of a sleep disorder, such as snoring, consistent issues with sleeping through the night, sleepwalking or difficulty staying awake during the day.

  According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, one in four children experience a nightmare more than once a week. If your child wakes up frightened and upset from a bad dream, try to talk to your child about his dream and reassure him that it was just a dream and that the nightmares cannot hurt them. You can even help him imagine a happy ending for the dream. Offer your child a stuffed animal or other comfort object to help him go back to sleep.

  Help your child learn to stay in his own bed when he wakes and fall back asleep on his own. Most babies and children wake briefly several times throughout the night, but quickly put themselves back to sleep without any type of parental intervention. Children can get into the habit of waking during the night and moving to their parent's beds for extra comfort. To break this habit, the "Supernanny" team from the TV show of the same name suggests calmly and consistently returning your child to his bed. While this routine can be difficult to follow since your child might become increasingly distraught when tucked back into his bed, he will eventually learn to stay in his own room and put himself back to sleep.